Like this:

With two new roommates moving in this month I needed to get some more storage for the kitchen so off to Ikea I went with boyfriend in tow. Going Sunday morning we were able to take advantage of their $1 breakfast. It’s such a good deal and for $1 more you can add a piece of yummy cinnamon french toast!

I was all set on getting the Billy bookcase in black/brown until I realized the white one cost $30 less! All of a sudden white was looking like the better choice. I love all the room set-ups in Ikea. In one bedroom there was a bookcase with a pink patterned back. Walking over to it I realised they had just put fabric against the back panel, which you could also purchase there. Thank you Ikea for the cheap bookcase and a great idea to personalize it!

While my very handy boyfriend was assembling the bookcase I looked through my fabric stash to see what would look good and what I had enough yardage of. The fabric I choose is a groovy vintage cotton made in Japan. First I measured the panel and added 2” on each side. This is probably a 2 person job. While one person is sliding the fabric and panel through the grooves the other is pulling the fabric tight on the sides to it doesn’t bunch up or sag. It was actually quite easy and the extra fabric on the sides was handy to grasp on to. After I checked to make sure the fabric was snug we nailed the panel to the bookcase as per the instructions. What a huge difference! I think I’m going to have to do this to all future bookcases!

Adding a personal touch can go a long way in making even cheap Ikea bookcases fit your home and style.